Monthly Archives: October 2015

Aldi sell these soup mix packs for €1.49. I decided to roast my veg in the oven to make the soup as I feel you get a more in-depth flavour from the vegetables from roasting them. I peeled and chopped all the veggies into equal sized pieces and sprayed a baking tray with spray oil, seasoned the veg with salt and pepper and sprinkled over fresh thyme leaves. I added two cloves of garlic with the skin left on. I roasted these in a preheated oven at 200 Celsius for 30 minutes.

I transferred into a saucepan with 1 1/2 pints of boiling water and a chicken stock cube. I squeezed the soft roasted garlic out of the skins into the pot. I continued to cook for about 15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. I blitzed with a hand blender adjusted the seasoning to taste and added a small bit more water as it was slightly thick. And Voilà! A beautiful autumnal roasted vegetable soup easy peasy! Free on all plans & guaranteed to keep you full. I hope you’re having a lovely Thursday x

🎶 Ba da ba ba ba I’m Lovin’ it 🎶 Have I got a treat for you! The Complete NEW & Current McDonalds PROMOTIONAL Menu in Propoints format including their new wraps. No way! I’m way too good to ye! If you missed my post featuring the full McDonald’s menu in propoints format type “McDonald’s” in the search box to find it, it’s all there for you. Here’s a handy visual guide I compiled especially to take with you on the go so you can make the best decisions for you while eating in everyone’s favourite fast food joint. Oops now I’m really craving a burger!

Good Morning! Breakfast this morning was Delicious Fluffy Scrambled Egg with Bacon and Spring Onion on Wholemeal Toast. 5pp or free on F&H. I hope you have a great day x
1 Egg

1 Egg White

1 or 2 Lean Bacon Medallions Diced

2 or 3 Spring Onions Chopped

A Dash of Skimmed Milk

Salt & Black Pepper

Fresh Parsley to Garnish

1 Slice Brennans Be Good Wholemeal Bread
Lightly spray a saucepan with spray oil. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes then add the spring onion and cook until softened. Whisk the egg and egg white in a bowl with a dash of milk seasoned with salt and pepper. Pour it into the saucepan over a low heat and gently fold the egg with a wooden spoon until they are cooked through. Toast the bread and serve the scrambled egg on top with a garnish of parsley if desired and enjoy!

The nights are getting darker earlier, the trees are putting on a spectacular autumnal display of fabulous golden and rusett colours and there is a definitely a cooler nip in the air. What is better to come home to than a beautiful, flavoursome, warm bowl of stew, it’s practically a hug in a bowl! If you’re Irish like me this might transport you back to memories of your school days when you would come home to the smell of gorgeous stew wafting through the house bubbling away ready to warm the cockles of your heart. This comes in at 9 propoints and serves 6 (it’s free on filling and healthy). Here’s the skinny:
800g lean steak pieces

1kg bag baby potatoes halved

2 onions finely diced

4 carrots peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery peeled and chopped

2 parsnips peeled and chopped

1 pint of beef stock

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon tomato purée

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Chopped fresh rosemary

Chopped fresh thyme

Chopped fresh parsley

Salt and black pepper

2 bay leaves

1 tin plum tomatoes

30g cornflour

Pre-heat the oven to 160 Celsius. Heat a large pot and spray with spray oil. Gently fry the onions, carrots, celery and parsnips for approximately five minutes until they are softening, add in the crushed garlic for the last 30 seconds. Tip the meat halved baby potatoes and softened veg into a large Pyrex dish or casserole dish. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes (just slice through them whilst still in the tin with a sharp knife if they are whole plum tomatoes). Add all the herbs and season with salt and pepper add the tomato purée and pour over the beef stock. Fold everything gently together with a wooden spoon. Gently fold the bay leaves in half and tuck them into the top where they can be easily removed but are touching the stock to infuse their flavour. Cover with a lid. Some people cook stew for just an hour and a half but I find this needs nearer 2 hours. Check it regularly you will know when the potatoes and veg are cooked & soft it is done. To thicken the stew mix 30g cornflour with a tiny amount of water to make a smooth paste in a mug pour into the stew and gently stir it through return to the oven for the last 15 to 20 minutes and this should thicken your stew nicely, you might find leaving the lid off will help this process, keep a close eye so it doesn’t dry out. You can remove the bay leaves at that stage. If you find that the stew doesn’t need thickening reduce the points to 8 propoints per serving. I recommend you use this fresh over a few days as cooked potatoes do not freeze well. This will last 3 to 4 days covered in a refrigerator. I hope you enjoy!

I love steak and usually have it with pepper sauce but I fancied a bit of a change and rustled up this fancy posh dinner sure why not it is the bank holiday after all! The Roquefort has a beautiful tangyness that compliments the beef superbly. Mushrooms and onions are a natural accompaniment to steak but you could serve this with some beautiful tender stem broccoli either. This fabulous dinner can be yours for just 13 propoints (and only 3pp on filling and healthy!). Serves 2, Here’s the skinny:
2 x 190g fillet steaks

300g peeled raw potato

Mushrooms

1 Onion

40g Roquefort Cheese

20g Reduced Fat Butter

Fresh Thyme

Salt and black pepper

Preheat your oven to 200 Celsius. Take your steaks out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you cook them to bring them to room temperature. Cut the potatoes into chip shapes and place on a plate. Microwave for three minutes. Spray well with spray oil and cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until browning. Season the steaks each side with black pepper and cook on a very hot griddle pan sprayed with oil for the time according to your liking approximately 2 to 3 minutes each side for rare 4 minutes a side for medium and 5 to 6 minutes a side for well done. Place the steaks on a plate and cover with tinfoil & allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Quarter the mushrooms and fry alongside the onions in a pan sprayed with oil. Mash the Roquefort and butter together with a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves and some black pepper until nice and smooth. Serve the chips, mushrooms and onions, and steaks topped with half of the roquefort butter per person and enjoy!

Culinary elaborations have their time and place but sometimes the simple quick and easy ideas are best. Pitta pizzas are so versatile you can basically put whatever you fancy on them peppers, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, chicken the list is quite endless. This was lunch today coming in at 7 propoints but you could easily make this for 5pp as I didn’t have any weight watchers pitta breads in the house and these are full fat white pitta breads from Aldi which are 5pp each (you can have this on filling and healthy for just two pro points for the cheese if you use the weight watchers pittas). I hope your Wednesday is wonderful!
One pitta bread

A squeeze of Passata

1 Tbsp of tomato purée

A sprinkle of oregano

Salt and black pepper

Piccolo tomatoes halved

60g reduced fat mozzarella

Red onion sliced

Fresh basil leaves

Toast the pitta bread in a toaster or under a hot grill and slice open lengthways into 2 halves, be careful of escaping steam. Mix together the passata, tomato purée & oregano and season with salt and pepper. Spread generously over each half of the pitta bread. Slice the tomatoes and red onion and lay on top. Dot the mozzarella across the pizzas and season with salt and pepper. Place under a hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves, devour and enjoy!

Happy World Pasta Day! The perfect excuse to whip up one of my favourite pasta dishes, not that I ever need an excuse to have pasta, I absolutely adore the stuff and would eat it every day if I could get away with it! I love linguine it’s flatter than spaghetti and holds a creamy sauce much better. This gorgeous recipe features juicy plump sun-dried tomatoes and creamy mozzarella with basil and a real fresh cream sauce, yes cream, light cream but cream nonetheless! This is filling, comforting and remarkably healthy at just 10 propoints per serving (if you use wholewheat spaghetti instead you can have it for 5 propoints on filling and healthy). Here’s the skinny:
184g (cooked weight) of linguine

50g sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

35g light mozzarella

1/2 a red onion diced

1 clove garlic

30ml light cream

Fresh basil leaves

A small sprinkle of chilli flakes

Salt and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions in boiling salted water. Rinse the oil off the sun-dried tomatoes if desired and chop into small bite-size pieces. Spray a medium saucepan with oil and fry the onion for approximately five minutes until soft. Crush in the garlic clove and cook for further 30 seconds. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and heat through for one minute. Add the cream and chilli flakes and season with salt and pepper. Loosen the creamy sauce with a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce mixing well. Tear in the fresh basil leaves and stir through the mozzarella torn into chunks and serve immediately. Enjoy!